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Site Review: The Alberta Women's Science Network

The Alberta Women's Science Network (AWSN) is an association whose goal is "to give women in science opportunities to realize their full potential and to attain a higher profile in society through visibility, networking, and programs designed to fulfill these goals." Their society's Web site is specifically designed with these goals -- especially networking -- in mind.

The front page is a perfect example of this networking push. Instead of having a front page devoted to the AWSN, the bottom half of the page has links to AWSN associate organization pages. These links include just about every "women in science" society in Alberta, such as the Calgary and Edmonton chapters of the Association of Women in Science and Engineering, women in science sites at universities, and other important associations in the province.

The top half of the front page is, of course, devoted to the AWSN and features a very complete list of content. The most novel content on the site is their "mentor of the month" -- an other section meant to promote networking. Every month, the site gives a profile of an Albertan woman who has been acting as a mentor for the society. Find out about this mentor and her life, and why she feels it important to find time in her busy schedule to mentor young scientists.

The site also features news stories, a list of events in the province of Alberta (in a nifty calendar form), and a "career opportunities" section, which allows for posting of both jobs and resumes. Each of these sections is easy to read, and the career opportunities and event listings appear to be quite current.

And if the information on the site isn't enough for you, the site offers two remedies. The first is their link page, offering links such as "Distinguished Women of Past and Present," "4000 Years of Women in Science," and other interesting but not easily found Internet sites. The second is the AWSN resource catalog -- a list of the association's other resources including books, video tapes, and handbooks, specifically picked out for women in science. These resources can be borrowed from the society by filling out a form, available on the site.